Three officers from the Met Police – one serving and two former – have been cleared of misconduct in relation to the 2018 arrest of a drug dealer in Kensington.
The panel determined that gross misconduct was not proven against a serving Met officer – referred to as Officer M after being granted anonymity by the chair - as well as former Detective Sergeant Michael Harding and former Detective Constable Stephen Lane. All three officers were previously attached to the Specialist Crime unit.
However, the panel ruled that misconduct had been committed by the two former officers who inappropriately shared images and footage with family and friends after the incident.
The hearing heard that on 15 May 2018, officers were carrying out covert surveillance when they identified a man in his 30s holding a package later found to contain approximately half a kilogram of cocaine.
The man entered a taxi and was then followed through central London by officers in unmarked cars. The vehicle was stopped in Lower Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, when the man got out and ran towards the pavement.
Former DS Harding’s car swerved onto the pavement, hitting the suspect, who was thrown over the railings 15 feet into a basement, as well as a passing cyclist. The man suffered a head injury and fractures.
Allegations were later made that DS Harding had deliberately driven dangerously towards the man.
The man lodged a complaint, which was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after being referred by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.
This was escalated by the IOPC to the Crown Prosecution Service, which charged former DS Harding in December 2022 with causing grievous bodily harm and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
No evidence was offered by March 2025, and a formal verdict of not guilty was recorded.
The investigation found that Harding, Lane and Officer M had a case to answer over allegations that they colluded when preparing their statements, allegedly producing accounts that were “inaccurate and misleading”. These allegations were dismissed by the panel, which found them not proven.
Later allegations that Harding and Lane had shared photographs and footage from the arrest were upheld at the lower threshold of misconduct.
Harding is found to have shared the footage with family and friends, while Lane requested footage from another officer and passed it on to a relative.
Detective Chief Superintendent Rick Sewart of Specialist Crime said: “A misconduct hearing today has concluded that none of the three officers committed gross misconduct.
“The hearing arose from an incident where officers were deployed on a covert surveillance operation to tackle drug dealing. The operation saw a man arrested - later charged and imprisoned - and a significant quantity of class A drugs seized.
“This matter has a very long history of legal and misconduct proceedings, with former DS Harding acquitted of criminal charges, and it has taken seven-and-a-half years to reach today’s outcome.
“We do not underestimate the significant impact on all involved of these extremely lengthy proceedings. It is why we have been lobbying for a fairer and speedier system for police accountability, and I am pleased progress is being made by the Government.”
